Guess who caught the bouquet!
Yesterday I went to Dee's wedding; she's my roommate from freshman year. It's crazy to think that my friends are old enough to get married. But I have three friend-weddings just this summer.
The wedding was on a farm way out in Lawrence, MI, past Kalamazoo. It was 10:45am before I had the bright idea of mapquesting it to see how far away Lawrence was. Mapquest estimated 2 hours and 22 minutes to get there. The wedding started at 2:00, so I left at 11:15, hoping I could make it there about 15 minutes early. I would have left sooner, but since I was still in my pajamas at 10:45, it took me a little while to get ready to leave. I rushed out the door without even taking time to grab a small bite to eat for lunch.
Normally, leaving at 11:15 would have been plenty of time, but it was raining pretty hard out. People were driving more cautiously/slowly; and I passed three--count 'em: 1-2-3--accidents, each of which caused traffic to slow to a mere crawl. And at times, the rain was coming down so hard I couldn't travel faster than 20mph. So there you have my excuses; I was late to the wedding. I pulled into the parking lot at 2:15. It was an outdoor wedding, so everyone could see my car pulling in. I was so embarrassed. I snuck around the side and slipped into the row with my friends Laura and Krishna. Luckily, the bride and groom were facing the pastor, not their guests, so they didn't see that I was late. But everyone else did; and I was the only one who was late. You would've thought at least someone else would get messed up by the weather like I did.
Anyway, I arrived just in time to hear the minister say, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." It was a very short ceremony; I couldn't believe I'd missed practically the entire thing. I guess I was there for the good part.
Then we filed out row by row and greeted and congratulated the bride, groom, parents, wedding party, etc. The reception was held on location, with tables set up in a big barn. Laura, Krishna, and I sat at a table upstairs in the loft, by a bunch of hay. We sipped drinks and waited for the wedding party to finish taking pictures so we could eat. I was starving since I hadn't had any lunch. The food was delicious and there was plenty of it. We had rolls, baked beans with peppers and onions mixed in to add a nice kick to the flavor (best baked beans I'd ever had) and cheesy potatoes and meat and fruit and more. Dessert was great also; there was so much cake and there were brownies.
Dee came and talked to us as we finished eating. It was nice to hear from her and catch up a little. She and I don't keep in touch very well.
Then the dancing started. The bride and groom shared their first dance as husband and wife. Sometimes I think I simply can't wait to be the girl in that situation. I've been dreaming of my wedding day for a long time. But then, am I anywhere near being ready?
When it came time for Dee to dance with her father, he was nowhere to be found. I guess he doesn't think he's good at dancing and was trying to avoid it. But they found him and the two of them danced. Someone said they saw tears in his eyes. I predicted to Laura that my dad would be very sentimental if and when our turn for the father-daughter dance comes.
Dee got set to throw her bouquet, and I was ready. I had narrowly missed it at the last wedding I went to; nothing was stopping me this time. I had on my imaginary football gear, ready to tackle anyone if needed. There were only like three women trying to catch the bouquet, so my odds were good. "One! Two! Three!" She tossed it. As the bouquet sailed through the air, my arms stretched toward it. But it was too far. I couldn't reach. It landed with a soft thud on the floor behind me. I turned and dove. Then, with a grin of victory on my face, I stood, clutching the flowers in my hands. Yes! This is the first time I'd ever caught the bouquet. Does it mean I'm next to get married?!
Then Jim threw the garter and a kid who couldn't be more than eight years old caught it. Next, the DJ called the young lady who had caught the bouquet. Would she please sit in the chair in the middle of the dance floor so the young man who caught the garter could put it on her? What?! I didn't know about this wedding tradition! Or if I did, I forgot about it. So there I was, letting an eight-year-old put a garter on my leg. I don't know who was more embarrassed.
I hung out a little more, talked to Dee's parents, danced the chicken dance, watched Laura put ice down Krishna's shirt. I said my goodbyes around 6:00. I wanted to make it home before it got too dark and I had a long drive. Just as I was leaving, I hear someone call, "Sara!" It was Jim, the groom. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me. I headed over to where he was and he said Nick, Dee's brother wanted to dance with me. He totally put me on the spot; I couldn't say no, so I danced. It was a slow song. Nick said he'd wanted to dance with me earlier, but he had been waiting for a slower song. We just kinda chatted while we danced. At one point, I swear I heard him say, "We can go out anytime if you want." I mumbled, "Umm, no." Then he said, "I said you can go out anytime, as in 'you can leave when you want to', since I know you have to go soon. What did you think I said?" It was a bit awkward, so when Laura tapped me and said she was leaving, I quit dancing, hugged her goodbye, and then took the opportunity to leave myself.
I had a fun time. It was different, a lot less formal, from the wedding I went to previously this summer. But that's what I love--the chance for each couple to give their wedding personality, to make it their own. Weddings aren't all supposed to be the same.
The wedding was on a farm way out in Lawrence, MI, past Kalamazoo. It was 10:45am before I had the bright idea of mapquesting it to see how far away Lawrence was. Mapquest estimated 2 hours and 22 minutes to get there. The wedding started at 2:00, so I left at 11:15, hoping I could make it there about 15 minutes early. I would have left sooner, but since I was still in my pajamas at 10:45, it took me a little while to get ready to leave. I rushed out the door without even taking time to grab a small bite to eat for lunch.
Normally, leaving at 11:15 would have been plenty of time, but it was raining pretty hard out. People were driving more cautiously/slowly; and I passed three--count 'em: 1-2-3--accidents, each of which caused traffic to slow to a mere crawl. And at times, the rain was coming down so hard I couldn't travel faster than 20mph. So there you have my excuses; I was late to the wedding. I pulled into the parking lot at 2:15. It was an outdoor wedding, so everyone could see my car pulling in. I was so embarrassed. I snuck around the side and slipped into the row with my friends Laura and Krishna. Luckily, the bride and groom were facing the pastor, not their guests, so they didn't see that I was late. But everyone else did; and I was the only one who was late. You would've thought at least someone else would get messed up by the weather like I did.
Anyway, I arrived just in time to hear the minister say, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." It was a very short ceremony; I couldn't believe I'd missed practically the entire thing. I guess I was there for the good part.
Then we filed out row by row and greeted and congratulated the bride, groom, parents, wedding party, etc. The reception was held on location, with tables set up in a big barn. Laura, Krishna, and I sat at a table upstairs in the loft, by a bunch of hay. We sipped drinks and waited for the wedding party to finish taking pictures so we could eat. I was starving since I hadn't had any lunch. The food was delicious and there was plenty of it. We had rolls, baked beans with peppers and onions mixed in to add a nice kick to the flavor (best baked beans I'd ever had) and cheesy potatoes and meat and fruit and more. Dessert was great also; there was so much cake and there were brownies.
Dee came and talked to us as we finished eating. It was nice to hear from her and catch up a little. She and I don't keep in touch very well.
Then the dancing started. The bride and groom shared their first dance as husband and wife. Sometimes I think I simply can't wait to be the girl in that situation. I've been dreaming of my wedding day for a long time. But then, am I anywhere near being ready?
When it came time for Dee to dance with her father, he was nowhere to be found. I guess he doesn't think he's good at dancing and was trying to avoid it. But they found him and the two of them danced. Someone said they saw tears in his eyes. I predicted to Laura that my dad would be very sentimental if and when our turn for the father-daughter dance comes.
Dee got set to throw her bouquet, and I was ready. I had narrowly missed it at the last wedding I went to; nothing was stopping me this time. I had on my imaginary football gear, ready to tackle anyone if needed. There were only like three women trying to catch the bouquet, so my odds were good. "One! Two! Three!" She tossed it. As the bouquet sailed through the air, my arms stretched toward it. But it was too far. I couldn't reach. It landed with a soft thud on the floor behind me. I turned and dove. Then, with a grin of victory on my face, I stood, clutching the flowers in my hands. Yes! This is the first time I'd ever caught the bouquet. Does it mean I'm next to get married?!
Then Jim threw the garter and a kid who couldn't be more than eight years old caught it. Next, the DJ called the young lady who had caught the bouquet. Would she please sit in the chair in the middle of the dance floor so the young man who caught the garter could put it on her? What?! I didn't know about this wedding tradition! Or if I did, I forgot about it. So there I was, letting an eight-year-old put a garter on my leg. I don't know who was more embarrassed.
I hung out a little more, talked to Dee's parents, danced the chicken dance, watched Laura put ice down Krishna's shirt. I said my goodbyes around 6:00. I wanted to make it home before it got too dark and I had a long drive. Just as I was leaving, I hear someone call, "Sara!" It was Jim, the groom. I wasn't sure if he was talking to me. I headed over to where he was and he said Nick, Dee's brother wanted to dance with me. He totally put me on the spot; I couldn't say no, so I danced. It was a slow song. Nick said he'd wanted to dance with me earlier, but he had been waiting for a slower song. We just kinda chatted while we danced. At one point, I swear I heard him say, "We can go out anytime if you want." I mumbled, "Umm, no." Then he said, "I said you can go out anytime, as in 'you can leave when you want to', since I know you have to go soon. What did you think I said?" It was a bit awkward, so when Laura tapped me and said she was leaving, I quit dancing, hugged her goodbye, and then took the opportunity to leave myself.
I had a fun time. It was different, a lot less formal, from the wedding I went to previously this summer. But that's what I love--the chance for each couple to give their wedding personality, to make it their own. Weddings aren't all supposed to be the same.
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